Who benefits from economic growth in Asia?

Published 11/07/2022 in Scholar Travel Stipend

Written by Sepora Badower | 11/07/2022

I had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong, Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Singapore. Initially, I was interested in the economic and social practices of the region, and how they differed from the United States.

I was somewhat surprised to see that Hong Kong and Singapore, which seemed to be flourishing the most economically, were filled with people speaking English, especially in the financial centers of the cities. With this realization, I began to shift my attention to the differences in spending and general appearances of wealth amongst the citizens of these Asian countries, and the role that location played in these expressions of financial success.

My trip began in Hong Kong, where the beauty of the shopping centers and the number of “expats” was definitely unexpected. The cars in Hong Kong were incredible. There were so many beautiful luxury vehicles that came close to surpassing those found in Beverly Hills. Throughout the city, there were an overwhelming number of fancy and expensive hotels and all of the shopping malls were filled with high-end stores. Dining out, in some areas, was comparable, if not more expensive, than places in Los Angeles. In fact, the city felt like New York or London, just in Asia. The people we interacted with, in the city’s center or “Central” were all educated, seemed financially comfortable, and spent well. On the other hand, though, there were areas that were less wealthy, people did not seem to be as educated, and hardly anyone spoke English. In these areas, which were a little bit away from the city center, apartments were small, and there was less overall maintenance. The neighborhoods seemed dirtier and there were lots of street markets, with prices extremely lower than the finer dining establishments found in the financial sector. While we have similar differences in America, as neighborhoods right next to each other are dissimilar from one another in regards to wealth and overall maintenance, I was surprised to see that most of the working individuals making up the upper-middle class were not originally from Hong Kong, and most of the wealthier individuals, in general, were not from mainland China. In fact, there was a large difference in the wealth, practices, and general manners of individuals from Mainland China and those of Hong Kong, which further drew attention to the fact that economic growth was more centered and specific to certain industries, groups, and individuals.

The next stop on our trip was Thailand. In Thailand, I had the opportunity to visit a major city, Bangkok, as well as Phuket and Chiang Mai, which were smaller cities. First, I began in Phuket. The beaches in Phuket were beautiful, and the areas that were extremely tourist-heavy, and very influenced by the tourism industry, were filled with high-end and beautiful resorts. But, the areas where Thai people lived, such as a little bit outside the city going toward the islands, were much less developed. Again, I noticed differences in the wealth of people in the city center and away from it. But, Phuket was different, as there didn’t seem to be areas filled with wealth, and it was clear the city was still developing and currently centered on Tourism. Bangkok, on the other hand, was a major city. Complete with beautiful shopping malls, walkways, and a flourishing culture, it was very different from Phuket. But, unlike Hong Kong, most of the people in Bangkok were Asian, and many of them from Thailand. The city was bustling, and while it was somewhat dirty and not as well maintained as somewhere like Los Angeles, it was still very developed and the citizens seemed to be happy to be there and excited about their culture. We ended our trip in Chiang Mai, which is in Northern Thailand and is filled with rivers and beautiful temples. The main industry in Chiang Mai is likely tourism, but there seemed to be a culture there that was not as influenced by the tourists. For example, people spoke less English in Chiang Mai than in the other areas we visited, although much of Chiang Mai was very developed and beautiful. The restaurants and coffee shops we visited were comparable to the United States, sometimes even more expensive, but things did not seem to be westernized in the same way as Hong Kong. While wealth seemed to be concentrated in different pockets of the city, this wealth was spread out amongst people of Thai descent, mostly from Chiang Mai. Speaking to individuals in stores and restaurants made it clear that they admired the west and had a desire to visit it, but their culture did not seem infiltrated by America or the UK. Furthermore, Chiang Mai had luxurious temples, and some of the night markets were beautiful and seemed to be flourishing financially. There were also street markets that were similar to those found in other parts of Asia that had cheaper options for both natives and tourists. But, the markets were cleaner than some of those encountered elsewhere, and they did not seem to be run by individuals in poverty, they seemed to just be part of the culture of the city.

Finally, we visited Singapore. In Singapore, everyone we interacted with spoke English, and the city was incredibly beautiful, spotlessly well maintained, and expensive. Food was much pricier than the other locations we visited, and this country was definitely the wealthiest, sporting gorgeous sports cars even though cars are extremely pricey in Singapore. We found that the people we interacted with were from everywhere, making the city especially multicultural. Walking around Singapore was safe, the people were highly educated, and the economy was clearly flourishing. Singapore was much more developed than I had initially expected, and I was very impressed by everything I encountered. Unlike Hong Kong where there were pockets of poorer areas, Singapore’s luxurious and beautiful upkeep was present everywhere, and wealth seemed to be more fairly divided amongst different regions. There didn’t seem to be strong differences in classes and overall wealth amongst the people of Singapore, and while there were many individuals who seemed to be residing in Singapore for a shorter period, and there were obviously tourists, it seemed that the economic success of the country was mostly going back to its citizens.

I realized that, in the places I visited in Asia, cities produced and held onto most of the country’s wealth, and there were large differences between those living in poverty and those living wealthy lifestyles. Singapore, the exception, is an extremely small country, and as a result is probably not large enough to have such vastly different experiences. In addition, Singapore seems to have a governing body that keeps the country well-maintained and tries to disperse wealth amongst the people, while Hong Kong and Thailand did not seem to be structured in the same way. The expressions of wealth were similar to the United States, things like nice cars, fancy restaurants, and beautiful buildings. But, many of the places that sported these nice things were filled with people from other countries that were either temporarily residing in Asia or visiting as tourists. It was extremely interesting to have the opportunity to visit Asia and I was definitely surprised by a lot of what I encountered.